AuthorTopic: Epson 7900 from the inside - out (Read 871333 times)

Not sure how effective a class-action lawsuit would be without better awareness of how many failures there were compared to non-failures.

Since Epson is publicly oblivious, raising public awareness might be more effective, such as:

Better Business Bureau complaints, including links back to this forum

A Facebook group that links back to this forum

YouTube videos, with links back to this forum

A Twitter feed that links back to this forum

Picketing an Epson exhibit at a trade show

Compared to class-action suits, many small claims suits might be more effective at getting Epson's attention.

From working in the tech industry for two decades, my guess is that these problems may have their origins in an engineering or manufacturing defect, perhaps with the " ink-repelling coating" wearing off or being inconsistently applied. Moreover, there are probably multiple layers of Epson management -- from Engineering to Product Management -- whose bonuses are at risk if they acknowledge a problem. It's not impossible to get their attention, but it takes some work to overcome their preference to ignore unhappy customers.

On the subject of people stepping up to help this endeavor, I think we just found our ace in the hole. Whitedogphotos emailed me direct today. He is donating his broken 7900 to the cause. We will use his head as the sacrificial "clog autopsy" lamb. I was in shock when he offered what he did. Told him I don't know what to say. I sure hope all this effort produces something useful for all of us. A solution or an exacting understanding of what in the hell goes on with these heads. Either would be fine, both would be great.

Thank you whitedogphotos!

Wow this is amazing news-- Can't wait to see some super close ups of the inside of this thing

[@Blue Moon - I'm still skeptical of the 'warning' not to use Vivid Magenta on x800 printers. I don't think it's a matter of the chemistry of the new ink versus the old ink and somehow this burns out print heads but rather a more simple explanation in that Epson would have to come up with all new drivers for the x800 printers using Vivid Magenta instead of the older version since one would presume that there would be color shifts if the older driver would be used. This would cause problems for Epson in that they now have to support two different drivers for the same printer and might cause headaches in terms of user support. In addition, when the user makes the shift to Vivid Magenta, the ink line must be completely purged of the older ink in order to get the correct results another headache for Epson support.]

There is a way to use Vivid Magenta in x800 machines. You can download the x880 driver and use the new driver for the x800. There is a few configurations that you need to make in the printer property in order to make it work. No color shift in this method.

1) Is there a trick to getting the top cover off? I've removed the left and right covers and am through page 79 (removing the six screws). On p 81, I can't lift up on the top of the front cover to remove it. The whole thing is loose, but feels like it is still caught somewhere and I am afraid to use any force at all. Does the top cover come up with the dark plastic flip-up cover on the front all as one piece? Do you pull more on the dark plastic piece or on the metal?

2) Did you drain your inks before all of this? If so, did you order 11 of the Epson draining cartridges part 1500853? I can't find them listed at Compass Micro or anywhere else. Also, for draining, I'm guessing that I could buy cheaper third part draining cartridges and it wouldn't matter. Any suggestions? Looking for the cheapest/easiest way to do this though I know the cheapest way is usually not the easiest. . . .

Btw, I am just tinkering as curiosity has gotten the best of me. I am still planning to buy a new Canon printer. I am just curious to see the innards of the machine and also to see if I could change the printhead myself if I tried (trust me, I don't have your skills!). I have not yet bought a $1300 printhead from Epson as I'm unsure I can replace it myself and worried that it is throwing good money after bad, so to speak as I could end up with the same problem. (Even if the printhead transplant is successful, do you then go ahead and change the pump cap assembly and damper as a preventative measure (at which point you're getting closer to the cost of a new printer with a warranty). I'm still trying to better understand when/how the fatal clog happens. I know that people without the clogs say that your humidity is too high or too low, or you didn't print enough, or you printed too much matte paper with dust or cut too much canvas etc, but I think there is also some random outcome to the process as I had some problems early on with my printer as well . ..)

Finally, to anyone else who is trying this themselves-- remove the maintenance tank and have a sealable bag ready before sliding off the right cover. This might be kind of obvious, but just in case . . .

I sincerely HOPE he didn't drain all the ink out, as its completely unnecessary unless you suspect that the problem might be being caused somewhere besides the head itself. The Ink shouldn't dry out in the lines for a decent while-- Its really the head you need to worry about keeping moist/lubricated once its out of the printer. It might not be a bad idea to put some tape over the ends of the dampers or ink lines (depending on where you separate the head from the lines) to make doubly sure they don't dry out-- But once removed, the head becomes especially susceptible to drying out and clogging. However if you're talking about actually replacing the head, then this doesn't matter at all-- just follow the procedure in the service manual (i think it was remove 1 ink to depressurize the system, but thats about it). Otherwise you're wasting a TON of ink.

holy $%*(! DO NOT DRAIN YOUR INK sfbule. We've all done enough of that by now, no need for more wasting. No issues with the maintenance tanks either, they just slide out like normal during the removal. I really need to get this head swapping video up. Sorry. Listen sfblue if you're having trouble taking the black plastic covers off the top of the machine, it's only going to get more challenging later. Maybe pause a bit. I wouldn't take the head off, or the damper unit, or the lines, until you have the new head right there to put in. You would need to cap off the damper unit if you intended to let it sit for long. I think you're better off completing the job the same day you start it (unless you're like me and you're exploring parts like an astronaut in space). The pump and cap is up to you. Old machine I say yes, newer with less miles I say no need. Definitely the wiper. Changing your head should waste surprisingly little ink. After all both the dampers and the head are in the carriage, at the end of the lines.

My guess is you missed the third screw on the top plastic pieces. Two are obvious, one is hidden, all are necessary to take off.

ahh, got it. No worries-- I did not drain the ink. I have some paranoia about putting in a new printhead and having the same issue, so part of me wants to start with new ink as by now the ink in the tubes has been sitting around for a while and I'm trying to eliminate reasons for instant re-clogging. But . . . I won't drain the inks.

And the top cover came off. It was just stuck for some reason and took a little shake in the right direction.

There is a way to use Vivid Magenta in x800 machines. You can download the x880 driver and use the new driver for the x800. There is a few configurations that you need to make in the printer property in order to make it work. No color shift in this method.

Thanks Will download a driver ...I have two 220mls so you done me a lot of good

I didn't buy an extended warranty (7600 and 7800 worked well) and boy do I regret it now with one of the now infamous head replacing clogs. I would now consider an extended warranty a given with the newer printers.

We need to start compiling a deadheads list. Who, where, how, and after how long. I think that'd be useful. I can name ten deadheads off the top of my head (sorry).

For what it's worth our 7900 had abandoned it's typical "clog every other day" routine at just about the same time the rainy season started here. I did buy a gauge, it's been hovering around 80% humidity and 58-67F around the machine for weeks now. Not ONE clog. ...until my genius came over and decided to print a bit on William Turner matte. Soon as he swapped from PK to MK, and then back again only thirty minutes later, all things became different again. Or, should I say "the same again".

For what it's worth our 7900 had abandoned it's typical "clog every other day" routine at just about the same time the rainy season started here. I did buy a gauge, it's been hovering around 80% humidity and 58-67F around the machine for weeks now.

I was about to post the same thing. Had many small clogs that would clean out okay. Recently though, now that the temp has dropped and the humidity is up, there have been no clogs. This 7900 is about 1 year old and still on the startup cartridges for most inks and they are sitting around 5-9% and shows how low the usage has been.

I'm one of the clan (sorry to say), a 7900 cloghead. Just discovered this thread, spent a few hours reading and still didn't reach the end. What a stalwart band of brothers (and sister) you've become since January. I'm a bit ecstatic to discover that there are actually possibilities of resurrecting my 7900. Eric, you're amazing. I'm plenty techy enough to tackle the viscera of the unit. However I just Googled 7900sm.pdf as suggested, only to read, "This account has been suspended." Makes one wonder if they're actually working against us. Anyway, if anyone was able to download the pdf before it disappeared, I'd be mighty beholding if you'd send me a copy. [email protected]Sleeves rolled up, scrubbed and sterile, waiting for operating instructions. Gracias.

A quick scan of the literature in the post above is interesting to me, because, given the large list of early research by many companies, it's surprising how few now produce professional wide format photographic machines.